Here's the latest on crypto in Pakistan as of late 2025:

Adoption Stats:

- Pakistan ranks 3rd globally in the Chainalysis 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, right behind India and the US. It's one of the fastest-growing markets, driven by remittances, freelance payments, and hedging against inflation/rupee volatility.

- Estimated 27-40 million crypto users/wallets(sources vary: Statista projects ~27 million users with 10.85% penetration rate; others claim up to 40 million active wallets).

- Pakistanis hold around $20-25 billion in crypto assets.

Market & Trading:

- Projected market revenue: $1.6 billion in 2025 (per Statista).

- Annual trading volume estimates: Up to $300 billion (though some earlier figures were lower; this reflects the massive P2P/shadow market).

- Huge unbanked population (100M+) and billions in remittances make crypto super popular for cross-border stuff.

Regulatory Update:

- Big shift in 2025: From banned/grey area to regulated. The Virtual Assets Ordinance/Act 2025legalized and set up frameworks, with the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) and Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) overseeing licensing (e.g., Binance got provisional nods).

- Crypto isn't legal tender for everyday payments, but trading/mining is now allowed in regulated ecosystems.

- Government pushing hard: Strategic Bitcoin Reserve announced, plans for mining with surplus power, even tokenizing $2B in state assets with Binance.

- Taxes: 15% CGT on profits, income from mining/staking taxed normally.